Author's Note: Yes, somewhere in my author's notes (maybe in more than one
place) I said I wasn't going to make Shawn related to Jack... come on, I
couldn't just blurt it out and ruin that great surprise, could I? It was
much more fun this way! Thanks for the reviews guys, I hope this story
keeps your interest
~*~
Daniel pulled up a chair next to the bed that the injured young man was sleeping in. He didn't HAVE to sit next to him to keep an eye on him – Teal'c wasn't, after all – but Daniel was intrigued by this person, and he wanted to have a chance to talk to him if he woke up. And not just to ask him about the origins of the arrowhead that was still driving Daniel nuts.
He sat down, the chair putting him about on the same level as the bed, and looked over at the sleeper. Jack's son? Daniel shook his head. He could remember more than once that he'd notice Shawn was acting a bit like Jack, mostly in mannerism, though, which was learned as well as inherited. Daniel had simply assumed the boy was spending too much time with Jack. Especially since they'd noticed a stubborn streak in him that was just as wide as O'Neill's. Now that he looked at him, though, Daniel thought there might be a few similarities that he hadn't noticed before.
He had the same pained look on his face just then that Jack normally sported when he was troubled or worried, or hurt. The same crease right above his nose, and the same jaw line, which was normally set firm when Jack was being stubborn, and probably would look the same if this young man were in the same position.
The door opened and Teal'c walked in, with his own version of a back up security system. Jack walked up to Daniel and stuck his nose cheerfully into the Archeologist's hand, his tail wagging a pleased hello. Daniel smiled, and rubbed the black lab's face, scratching his ears. Jaffer walked over and joined his brother for a moment, getting his own share of the attention, but a low command from Teal'c caused both dogs to raise their heads and look back at him.
"Using them as guard dogs?" Daniel asked as the two very large labs ambled back over to Teal'c, where he reached down and unsnapped their leashes. They didn't need to be held close by. They would stay where they were told.
"They know who belongs and will warn us if someone should come we do not know."
That much was true. The two dogs had grown up in Cheyenne Mountain and knew everyone there. From Hammond down to the lowest ranks of Military and Civilian, the dogs were plenty familiar with them all. And would know if a stranger walked down the hall. They were both intelligent animals and had been thoroughly trained in the details of guard dogging, but more importantly, they knew if someone was acting oddly, and would make sure Teal's and Daniel were warned, as well.
"Are you going to leave them in the infirmary? Or in the corridor?"
"Doctor Fraiser asks that I do not allow them to be underfoot, so I shall keep them in the hall. But they will alert us if anyone comes in that does not belong."
"Makes sense."
"Of course it does."
Teal'c closed the door behind him and the dogs, and took up a position right by the door, with one large dog on either side of him, and his staff weapon leaning against a wall where he'd be able to easily get to it. No one told him that he was being paranoid, even if some thought he might be going overboard with this guard duty. Mainly because no one dared tell Teal'c anything of the sort. They were content to allow him to do whatever he wanted. Which was how Teal'c preferred it. Besides, he'd given Jack his oath to protect his son, and he would.
~*~
The Adams' owned two cars and a small motorboat. One of the cars was a brand new Ford sedan – which was the car Dotty normally drove – and the other was a Jeep Cherokee, which was the vehicle James most often drove. The Jeep and the boat were both gone when Jack pulled his truck up into the driveway about 40 minutes after he and Sam had left the SGC. But the Ford was sitting in its usual spot, and Jack wondered if that meant Dotty was home.
He got out of the truck, his hand resting lightly on the butt of his Beretta, which was in a belt holster under Jack's light jacket. Looking around, it didn't appear that anything was wrong, but Jack was naturally wary anyways, and even more so when he had good reason to think something might be going wrong.
"Looks clear, Sir." Sam said, her own hand also resting on the butt of her gun, which was hidden in a similar location as Jack's.
"Yeah, it does," Jack agreed. Everything looked peaceful and calm. Just like it normally did. "Do you think they want us to think it's clear? Or do you think it really is?"
"One way to find out." Carter said, gesturing to the door.
They walked up to the door and Jack knocked lightly, ignoring the doorbell. It opened almost instantly, as if someone had been waiting for them.
"Jack. Sam. Hello." It was Dotty. She wasn't really smiling although she was definitely trying to be pleasant. If anything her face was a mirror of Sam and O'Neill's. Worried and wary.
"Hi, Dotty," Jack said, looking at her closely. She looked pretty damned human to him. No tentacles, or scales, or anything. "Is... um, Shawn or James here?"
"No, Jack. They were planning a fishing trip this weekend, and I sent them up a day early."
"Oh?"
There was far more than one question in that simple word, and Dotty, nodded. She looked at Carter, then back at Jack.
"I thought you'd come by, Jack, once the school called me and asked for permission to allow the Air Force to take a blood sample from Shawn." Her eyes turned from wary to amused for a moment, and she shook her head. "The Air Force Academy taking blood samples from an eleven year old? That was the best cover story you could think of?"
Sam blushed slightly, since it had been her cover story.
"Well, you know... Say no to drugs and all that." Jack told Dotty.
"Well, I thought once you had a blood sample that you'd probably come looking for answers, and I didn't want James or Shawn around, so I pulled Shawn from school early and convinced James that they should go early to avoid any weekend crowds as long as possible."
"Then you know what we found?" Jack asked, his hand touching the butt of his gun again, just in case things started getting ugly.
"I knew you'd find out, eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so soon." She looked at Carter again, then at Jack, as if noticing for the first time that they were probably worried she was going to attack them or something.
"Listen, why don't you two come in, and we'll talk?"
"That sounds like a fine idea."
Dotty held the door open, and Jack and Sam walked in, both alert for any ambushes from behind the door, or from Dotty herself, but none came.
"You must have a million questions," Dotty said, as she led them over to the living room and gestured for them to sit down.
"Oh, a few more than that," Jack said. He looked around the room, but didn't see any place where someone might be hiding or anything out of place. He motioned Carter to sit down, then waited for Dotty to take a seat before he did the same.
~*~
Daniel pulled up a chair next to the bed that the injured young man was sleeping in. He didn't HAVE to sit next to him to keep an eye on him – Teal'c wasn't, after all – but Daniel was intrigued by this person, and he wanted to have a chance to talk to him if he woke up. And not just to ask him about the origins of the arrowhead that was still driving Daniel nuts.
He sat down, the chair putting him about on the same level as the bed, and looked over at the sleeper. Jack's son? Daniel shook his head. He could remember more than once that he'd notice Shawn was acting a bit like Jack, mostly in mannerism, though, which was learned as well as inherited. Daniel had simply assumed the boy was spending too much time with Jack. Especially since they'd noticed a stubborn streak in him that was just as wide as O'Neill's. Now that he looked at him, though, Daniel thought there might be a few similarities that he hadn't noticed before.
He had the same pained look on his face just then that Jack normally sported when he was troubled or worried, or hurt. The same crease right above his nose, and the same jaw line, which was normally set firm when Jack was being stubborn, and probably would look the same if this young man were in the same position.
The door opened and Teal'c walked in, with his own version of a back up security system. Jack walked up to Daniel and stuck his nose cheerfully into the Archeologist's hand, his tail wagging a pleased hello. Daniel smiled, and rubbed the black lab's face, scratching his ears. Jaffer walked over and joined his brother for a moment, getting his own share of the attention, but a low command from Teal'c caused both dogs to raise their heads and look back at him.
"Using them as guard dogs?" Daniel asked as the two very large labs ambled back over to Teal'c, where he reached down and unsnapped their leashes. They didn't need to be held close by. They would stay where they were told.
"They know who belongs and will warn us if someone should come we do not know."
That much was true. The two dogs had grown up in Cheyenne Mountain and knew everyone there. From Hammond down to the lowest ranks of Military and Civilian, the dogs were plenty familiar with them all. And would know if a stranger walked down the hall. They were both intelligent animals and had been thoroughly trained in the details of guard dogging, but more importantly, they knew if someone was acting oddly, and would make sure Teal's and Daniel were warned, as well.
"Are you going to leave them in the infirmary? Or in the corridor?"
"Doctor Fraiser asks that I do not allow them to be underfoot, so I shall keep them in the hall. But they will alert us if anyone comes in that does not belong."
"Makes sense."
"Of course it does."
Teal'c closed the door behind him and the dogs, and took up a position right by the door, with one large dog on either side of him, and his staff weapon leaning against a wall where he'd be able to easily get to it. No one told him that he was being paranoid, even if some thought he might be going overboard with this guard duty. Mainly because no one dared tell Teal'c anything of the sort. They were content to allow him to do whatever he wanted. Which was how Teal'c preferred it. Besides, he'd given Jack his oath to protect his son, and he would.
~*~
The Adams' owned two cars and a small motorboat. One of the cars was a brand new Ford sedan – which was the car Dotty normally drove – and the other was a Jeep Cherokee, which was the vehicle James most often drove. The Jeep and the boat were both gone when Jack pulled his truck up into the driveway about 40 minutes after he and Sam had left the SGC. But the Ford was sitting in its usual spot, and Jack wondered if that meant Dotty was home.
He got out of the truck, his hand resting lightly on the butt of his Beretta, which was in a belt holster under Jack's light jacket. Looking around, it didn't appear that anything was wrong, but Jack was naturally wary anyways, and even more so when he had good reason to think something might be going wrong.
"Looks clear, Sir." Sam said, her own hand also resting on the butt of her gun, which was hidden in a similar location as Jack's.
"Yeah, it does," Jack agreed. Everything looked peaceful and calm. Just like it normally did. "Do you think they want us to think it's clear? Or do you think it really is?"
"One way to find out." Carter said, gesturing to the door.
They walked up to the door and Jack knocked lightly, ignoring the doorbell. It opened almost instantly, as if someone had been waiting for them.
"Jack. Sam. Hello." It was Dotty. She wasn't really smiling although she was definitely trying to be pleasant. If anything her face was a mirror of Sam and O'Neill's. Worried and wary.
"Hi, Dotty," Jack said, looking at her closely. She looked pretty damned human to him. No tentacles, or scales, or anything. "Is... um, Shawn or James here?"
"No, Jack. They were planning a fishing trip this weekend, and I sent them up a day early."
"Oh?"
There was far more than one question in that simple word, and Dotty, nodded. She looked at Carter, then back at Jack.
"I thought you'd come by, Jack, once the school called me and asked for permission to allow the Air Force to take a blood sample from Shawn." Her eyes turned from wary to amused for a moment, and she shook her head. "The Air Force Academy taking blood samples from an eleven year old? That was the best cover story you could think of?"
Sam blushed slightly, since it had been her cover story.
"Well, you know... Say no to drugs and all that." Jack told Dotty.
"Well, I thought once you had a blood sample that you'd probably come looking for answers, and I didn't want James or Shawn around, so I pulled Shawn from school early and convinced James that they should go early to avoid any weekend crowds as long as possible."
"Then you know what we found?" Jack asked, his hand touching the butt of his gun again, just in case things started getting ugly.
"I knew you'd find out, eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so soon." She looked at Carter again, then at Jack, as if noticing for the first time that they were probably worried she was going to attack them or something.
"Listen, why don't you two come in, and we'll talk?"
"That sounds like a fine idea."
Dotty held the door open, and Jack and Sam walked in, both alert for any ambushes from behind the door, or from Dotty herself, but none came.
"You must have a million questions," Dotty said, as she led them over to the living room and gestured for them to sit down.
"Oh, a few more than that," Jack said. He looked around the room, but didn't see any place where someone might be hiding or anything out of place. He motioned Carter to sit down, then waited for Dotty to take a seat before he did the same.